1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to providing a filtering interface, more particular, to providing a filtering interface that easily searches and selects broadcasting content.
2. Description of the Related Art
In line with widespread distribution of digital broadcasting services, the number of available broadcasting content is increasing. Viewers, on the other hand, have limited time to watch TV programs. Accordingly, in order for the viewers to watch TV programs independent of air time, the distribution of a filtering-interface provision apparatus 200 such as personal video recorder (PVR), which can record TV programs, is increasing.
According to the prior art, a filtering-interface provision apparatus 200 receives information on a TV program to record from a user, and records a program corresponding to the information.
Scheduling “timer record” for a TV program using the filtering-interface provision apparatus 200 according to the prior art requires multiple steps of manual manipulations. For example, when recording a sports program to watch a specific player, a user selects a genre first, and “sports”, and then inputs the name of the player as a keyword.
Because a conventional filtering-interface provision apparatus 200 lists properties information, a viewer needs to go through multiple manipulation steps in order to select a property among others and this is inconvenient for the viewer. In addition, the fact that a keyword is input by using a limited control means such as a remote controller only adds more inconvenience.
Many inventions (e.g. Japanese Unexamined Publication No. 2003-256309, “Electronic Information Content Distribution Processing System, Information Distribution Apparatus, Information Processing Apparatus, and Information Processing Method”) have been proposed but none of which has solutions to the aforementioned problem.